Hawaii chefs go to Pebble Beach, IRL

This next week is going to be quite a (chilly) whirlwind for me as I head to Pebble Beach for the Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival. It is, of course, related to the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival and features some of the most famous chefs from all over the country.

Due to its location in between LA and San Francisco (closer to SF, actually), it promises no less than “250 acclaimed wineries and 100 celebrity chefs to create a hedonistic four-day destination on one of the most picturesque strips of coastline in the world.” 

Why am I going? There’s a bigger Hawaii connection, as our cuisine becomes more recognized throughout the world beyond the standard luau fare. One of the events on April 6 is focused on Hawaii, showcasing the talents of Jordan Keao and Chris Yang of ‘aina Restaurant in San Francisco; Ravi Kapur of Liholiho Yacht Club in San Francisco; Mike Lofaro of Humuhumunukunukuapua’a at the Grand Wailea on Maui; and of course, Roy Yamaguchi of the Roy’s restaurants empire. 

I asked for a preview so I could do a more expansive blog, but these guys are true chefs: they’re making their dishes for the first time at the event!

During the event, the Grand Wailea Hawaii cultural advisor and historian Kainoa Horcajo will be moderating and helping the audience understand the roots from which these chefs and their creations come from. 

Mike and Kainoa are the talented faces of Search Hawaii TV, a show for which I managed the social media two years ago. Their show sprung from a quarterly dinner the Grand Wailea does, where the two go out into the wilderness and forage for ingredients according to the Hawaiian moon calendar. They bring the ingredients back to the hotel and create a sumptuous, modern meal with historic Hawaiian stories behind each dish. The Grand Wailea is taking me on this trip to help document their efforts.

I hope you’ll follow along this week as we meet new chef friends, learn about food and wine, and share a piece of Hawaii with the world. You can follow me on Instagram at @Melissa808, @FrolicHawaii and @HawaiiIRL. Who knows, maybe more! There will probably be posts from Mike, Kainoa, and the Grand Wailea as well. 

Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival
April 5 to 8, 2018
More information on the Hawaii event, here